Method and system automatically to price a promotional product

ABSTRACT

A computer-implemented method to price a promotional product includes the generation of a user interface that facilitates input of specification information concerning the promotional product, the specification information including product information identifying a base product to be decorated and decoration manufacturing process information identifying a process whereby a decoration is applied to the base product. The specification information concerning the promotional product is received, and a price for the promotional product is automatically calculated utilizing the product information and the decoration manufacturing process information. The user interface further provides a visual representation of the promotional product having the decoration applied thereto and according to the decoration manufacturing process.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser.No. 09/930,676 filed August 14, 2001, which is a continuation in part ofU.S. application Ser. No. 09/758,648, filed Jan. 10, 2001, which claimsthe benefit of U.S. provisional application 60/176,956 filed Jan. 18,2000, the entire content of each of the applications is incorporatedherein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of computer-generated images.Particularly, the present invention relates to the generation ofcomposite images at a server utilizing image selections communicated viaa Web browser over a network, such as the Internet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The sale of promotional products, also called advertising specialties,has traditionally been practiced as a broker-customer relationship wherea commissioned broker presents, in-person, various product lines anddecoration choices to a customer. For example, a customer may call abroker in regard to promoting their company at a client appreciationgolf tournament. The broker presents the customer with various products,i.e., hats, shirts, mugs, etc., that can be decorated using selecteddecorative technologies, i.e., embroidery, silk-screening, etc. Forexample, the customer may select a green polo shirt with the intentionthat it be decorated with company logo, graphic, name or other text orsymbol be in black embroidery above the shirt pocket. The broker thenfacilitates the coordination among the customer, product vendor, anddecorators to supply the requested customized product by the timerequired by the customer.

Due to the large number of product manufacturers and decorators, thebroker usually carries a selected product line from variousmanufacturers and utilizes a selected group of decorators to apply thenecessary decoration to the product. The customer, therefore, ispresented a limited group of products and options for decorating theproduct. Moreover, when choosing the product, the customer generally islooking at catalog images or samples that are blank - that is,undecorated or decorated with the design of another company. In thesecases, the customer is left to imagine the appearance of the decoratedproduct until after placing an order. Thus, typically, the customerusually does not see the final product until it arrives. Furthermore,until the product arrives, the customer must depend upon the broker toensure the order is delivered on time and appears as was anticipated.

Thus, it would be desirable for a client to be able to select a productand a decoration at their convenience over a network, for example, theInternet, and to view the appearance of the final product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention, there is provided a computer-implementedmethod to price a promotional product. A user interface is generatedthat facilitates input of specification information concerning thepromotional product, the specification information including productinformation identifying a base product to be decorated and decorationmanufacturing process information identifying a process whereby adecoration is applied to the base product. The specification informationconcerning the promotional product is received, and a price for thepromotional product is automatically calculated utilizing the productinformation and the decoration manufacturing process information. Theuser interface further provides a visual representation of thepromotional product having the decoration applied thereto and accordingto the decoration manufacturing process.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is illustrated by way of example and notlimitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which likereferences indicate similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system architecture according to one embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a product image processingaccording to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating server side processes and clientside processes utilized in generating a composite image according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a Web interface presented on a browser that presents productdetails according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is illustrating a product image file structure according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a Web interface presented on the browser that enablesselection of a decorative image according to one embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a process of uploading thedecorative image to a server according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 8 is a Web interface presented on the browser that presents adefault composite image according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is a Web interface presented on the browser that presents acomposite image generated according to a warp ratio according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a Web interface presented on the browser that enablespositioning of the logo image relative to a product image according toone embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating a process of relative positioningof the logo image;

FIG. 12 is a Web interface presented on the browser that presents aquote according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is an example of a traditional client - server system upon whichone embodiment of the present invention may be implemented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Although the present invention is described below by way of variousembodiments that include specific structures and methods, embodimentsthat include alternative structures and methods may be employed withoutdeparting from the principles of the invention described herein.

In general, embodiments described below feature a network-basedapplication that prompts a user for a product image selection and adecorative image selection and displays a product image (e.g., aphotograph) with the decorative image (e.g., a logo graphic or textgraphic) placed on it. A preferred embodiment of the present inventionfeatures a network-based application for composite image generation. Forthe purposes of the present specification, the term “product image”shall be taken to include any image type and may depict any type, shapeor construction of product. The term “decorative image” shall also betaken to include any image type, and may depict, for example, any logo,text, pattern, ornamentation, name, symbol, emblem or the like that maybe applied to a product.

In one embodiment, the present invention is implemented as acomputer-based service that may be accessed through the Internet, forexample, using a Web browser. The service provides an interface thatallows a user to select a product and select and/or create decorativeimage information and view the composite image before ordering thepromotional product. Internet-related technology As indicated above, oneembodiment of the present invention provides an Internet-basedimplementation. Accordingly, some introduction to Internet-relatedtechnology is helpful in understanding the present invention. TheInternet is a vast and expanding network of computers and other deviceslinked together by various telecommunications media, enabling thevarious components to exchange and share data. Sites (so-called Websites), accessible through Internet, provide information about numerouscorporations and products, as well as education, research, entertainmentand services.

A resource that is attached to the Internet is often referred to as a“host.” Examples of such resources include conventional computer systemsthat are made up of one or more processors, associated memory and otherstorage devices and peripherals, such as modems, networks interfaces andthe like that allow for connection to the Internet or other networks. Inmost cases, the hosting resource may be embodied as hardware and/orsoftware components of a server or other computer system that includesan interface module, which allows for some dialog with users and thatmay process information through the submission of Web forms completed bythe user. Generally, such a server will be accessed through theInternet's graphical user interface, the World Wide Web, (e.g., via Webbrowsers) in the conventional fashion.

In order to facilitate communications between hosts, each host has anumerical Internet Protocol (IP) address. The IP address of ahypothetical host computer might be 112.222.64.27.Each host also has aunique “fully qualified domain name.” In the case of the hypotheticalhost 112.222.64.27, the “fully qualified domain name” might be“computer.domain.com”, the three elements of which are the hostname(“computer”), a domain name (“domain”) and a top-level domain (“com”). Agiven host looks up the IP address of other hosts on the Internetthrough a system known as domain name service.

As previously indicated, in order to access the Internet most users relyon computer programs known as “Web browsers.” Commercially available Webbrowsers include such well-known programs as Netscape's Navigator™ andCommunicator™ and Microsoft's Internet Explorer™. If an Internet userdesires to establish a connection with a Web page hosted atcomputer.domain.com, the Internet user might enter into a Web browserprogram the uniform resource locator (URL) “http://www.domain.com”. Thefirst element of the URL is a transfer protocol, most commonly “http”standing for hypertext transfer protocol, but others include “mailto”for electronic mail, “ftp” for file transfer protocol, and “nntp” fornetwork news transfer protocol. The remaining elements of this URL arean alias for the fully qualified domain name of the host.

Once a URL is entered into the browser, the corresponding IP address islooked up in a process facilitated by a certain computer, called thetop-level server. The top-level server matches the domain name to an IPaddress of a domain name server capable of directing the inquiry to thecomputer hosting the Web page. Thus, the domain name server ultimatelymatches an alphanumeric name such as www.domain.com with its numeric IPaddress 112.222.64.27.

When a host receives an inquiry from the Internet, it returns the datain the file pointed to by the request to the computer making theinquiry. Such data may make up a Web page, which may include a textualmessage, sound, picture, or a combination of such elements. A user canmove between Web pages through the use of hyperlinks, which are linksfrom one site on the Internet to another.

An integral component of the present invention is a computer server.Servers are computer programs that provide some service to otherprograms, called clients. A client 1305 and server 1310 of FIG. 13communicate by means of message passing often over a network 1300, anduse some protocol, a set of formal rules describing how to transmitdata, to encode the client's requests and/or responses and the server'sresponses and/or requests. The server may run continually waiting forclient's requests and/or responses to arrive or it may be invoked bysome higher-level continually running server that controls a number ofspecific servers. Client-server communication is analogous to a customer(client) sending an order (request) on an order form to a supplier(server) dispatching the goods and an invoice (response). The order formand invoice are part of the protocol used to communicate in this case.

Another component of the present invention is an alpha channel. An alphachannel is a portion of each pixel's data that is reserved fortransparency information. Pixel is the smallest addressable unit on adisplay screen. Typically, the alpha channel is defined on a per objectbasis; different parts of the object have different levels oftransparency depending on how much background needs to show through. Inshort, the alpha channel is a mask that specifies how the pixel's colorsshould be merged with another pixel when the two are overlaid, one ontop of the other. Architecture With these concepts in mind, anembodiment of a system architecture of the present invention can beexplored. A composite image generation service may be accessed throughclient machines 100 that run browser applications 105 to providegraphical interfaces for a user to effectively use the composite imagegeneration service. The client machines 100 communicate with a servermachine 120 via a network 110, e.g. Internet. The server machine 120includes such components of the present invention as a web server 130,application sever 140 and database server 190. It will be appreciatedthat these servers may run on other machines that are accessible by theserver machine 120. In an embodiment of the present invention, databasesfor storing customer information, product image information, decorativeimage information, etc. are also stored at the server machine 120.However, it will be appreciated that databases may be stored at othermachines and database data may be uploaded to the server machine 120when necessary.

The application server 140 contains visualization server 150 thatincludes compositing engine 160, product image conversion engine 170 andartwork creation engine 180. Compositing engine 160 generates acomposite image based on a first image and a second image selected by auser. A first image is, for example, uploaded by a manufacturer of aproduct depicted in the first image and processed by the product imageconversion engine 170 for storage in a photo archive database 240.

Of course, the first image may be obtained from the any number ofsources. For example, an operator of a Web site that is it supported bythe server machine 120 may employ an internal photographic (or art)department that is responsible for generating images of products thatare supplied, together with pertinent product information, to the Website operator by manufacturers of such products. These internallygenerated photographs may be stored in a photograph archive database260.

The second image is modified by the artwork creation engine 180according to the user's operations in the Web browser. These imageconversion processes are described in detail below. The database server190 that communicates to the application server 140 contains databasesused for the composite image generation. As stated above the databasesmay be stored at another machine and accessed by the database server190. Furthermore, the database server 190 may run at another machine andcommunicate with the application server 140 via the network 110.Methodology and User Interface With these concepts in mind, anembodiment of the present invention can be further explored. In order toproduce a composite image, the first and the second images, for exampleproduct image and logo image respectively, must be processed for use bythe compositing engine 160 of the visualization server 150. While thebelow exemplary embodiment of the present invention is described asutilizing “logo images”, it will be appreciated that the presentinvention is not limited to the utilization of such logo images, and mayemploy a decorative image representing any decoration (e.g., a graphic,logo or text) that may be applied to product.

Before a product image and a logo image can be utilized by the compositeimage generator, in one embodiment, each is formatted as a raster file.It will be appreciated that the processing of the photo image need notoccur at the server and may take place at another location with theprocessed product images that may be, for example, uploaded to theserver via a network or generated by a Web site operator that operatesthe server machine 120.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a product image file issubmitted by a manufacturer. For example, the product manufacturersubmits a high-resolution product photo file, such as a file of 1.3mega-pixel resolution.

In another embodiment of the present invention the manufacturer maysubmit a physical product sample at 210 of FIG. 2 with the productinformation, including size, imprint area, etc., that is stored inproduct receiving database by the compositing engine 160. Upongeneration of photography instructions at 220, the digital photograph ofthe product is taken at 230 by, for example, a Web site operator thatoperates the server machine 120. The digital photograph is then uploadedto photo archive database 260. The coded photo with imprint areainstructions in the header of a product image file is stored in productdatabase 270.

In one embodiment, the product image processing may be done utilizing acommercially available software package, such as Adobe Photoshop™(available from Adobe Systems of San Jose, Calif.) on Windows™ operatingsystem (available from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Washington). Analpha channel is defined using the selection tools in Photoshop™, and,at the same time, the diameter of the product is set and the warp ratiois automatically calculated based on the diameter of the product. Theproduct photo export plug-in generates the product image file andproduct thumbnail file and saves it in the product image database, orsaves it for uploading to the product image database by the productimage conversion engine 170. In one embodiment, the product imagedatabase may be part of a product database where the product images areassociated with a product; however, in other embodiments it may be aseparate product image database associated with a product database. Inan embodiment where the product images are processed at another system,the processed files are uploaded to the product image database. Theproduct image file may be a .png file containing a high-resolutionproduct image. It will be appreciated that product image files inaddition to or other than the above image files may also be generated bythe product photo export plug-in.

The next embodiment of the present invention is described with referenceto a simplified flow diagram FIG. 3. At operation 301, a customer on aclient system 100 accesses the visualization server 150 via a network110 (e.g., Internet), utilizing a network browser. The customer ispresented on the browser with a Web interface (e.g., HTML document)communicated from the visualization server 150, and prompting thecustomer to enter a user identification (userid) and password in orderto use the composite image generation service. First time users areprompted to enter customer information, e.g. name, address, phonenumber, billing address, payment information and are assigned a useridand password that are user-modifiable. Upon entering a userid and apassword, the information is sent to the visualization server 150, wherevalidation of the entered information is done against a customerdatabase containing all the relevant customer information. Uponsuccessful validation access to the composite image generation serviceis provided to the user at operation 302.

At operation 303 the user may browse a virtual product catalog or searchfor a specific product. If the user selects a search option then thevisualization server 150, upon getting a search request, conducts asearch for a product against a product database that may be stored onthe server machine 120 or on another machine that is accessible by thevisualization server 150. The user is presented with a list of all theproducts stored in the database or the list of products identified bythe visualization server 150 as the result of a specific product search,along with thumbnail image of each product next to its name. Uponclicking on a thumbnail image the user may be presented with theenlarged photograph 402 of a product with the detailed description. Anexemplary user interface 400 to present the enlarged photograph 402 isshown in FIG. 4. At this point 305 the user may select a product fordesign. A unique product identification number gets sent to thevisualization server 150, which allows the server to select the correctproduct photo with the specialized imprint instructions from the productdatabase at operation 306. In one embodiment of the invention eachproduct image may be stored in a file 510 with the header 520 containinginformation about the image, such as size, imprint area, warp ratio,etc., as illustrated in FIG. 5. It will be appreciated that the selectedproduct image is maintained as an image file accessible at the servermachine 120 and may reside as an image file in a separate product imagedatabase or may reside as an image file in part of a larger database,such as the product database.

After selecting a product for design, the user may select the secondimage, at operation 307, which may be artwork, such as a logo. It iscustomary for businesses to have several versions of a company's logo,these versions can be stored in the customer database, and upon customerlogin may be transferred to a Web browser for display. An exemplary userinterface 600 to present user's logos 610 is shown in FIG. 6. In analternative, the user may upload a logo from the client to thevisualization server 150 through operations illustrated in FIG. 7. At701 upon user's selection of upload option the user is presented with aform for browsing files stored at the local computer. At operation 702the user selects a file that may be a .jpg, .bmp, .eps, or .tif anduploads it to the visualization server 150 where the number of colorsand transparent area are detected by the artwork creation engine 180.The visualization server 150 displays the analyzed logo on the Webbrowser on a specialized background, at operation 703. At this point704, the user may edit artwork transparency areas and submit changes tothe visualization server 150. The server then, at 705, re-displays thelogo with the changes on the Web browser. Upon satisfaction with thelogo the user may save the logo and associated data in an artworklibrary database at the visualization server 150 at operation 308.

Returning to FIG. 3, when the user finalizes the product choice and logoselection the server communicates the composite image to the browser viathe network, illustrated as operation 309 of FIG. 3, and the compositeimage of the product and the logo is displayed at the Web browser, wherethe logo is placed in a default position on the product, e.g. the logowill be placed in the center of a baseball cap as a default. Anexemplary user interface 800 to present a default composite image 810 isshown in FIG. 8. Necessary warping is applied by the composite engine160 when generating default composite image. The product image fileselected by the user contains warping information, e.g. warp ratio, inthe header of the file. The composite engine 160 places the logo imageon the product image according to the warp ratio. An exemplary userinterface 900 to present a composite image 910 containing warping isshown in FIG. 9. The warping may be cylindrical or spherical, however,it will be appreciated that the warping ratio may be further defined toaddress other types of product image topography, e.g. undulating,cubist, etc.

However, the user is not limited by the default composite image. In oneembodiment, the user can selectively position a logo image relative tothe product image by selecting a position on a positioning grid 1006presented, at 1110 of FIG. 11, via a Web interface on the browser, asillustrated in exemplary user interface of FIG. 10. For example, theuser may select block 1008 in positioning grid 1006 by navigating acursor over block 1008 and clicking on it. The selecting of block 1008generates positioning information that is communicated to thevisualization server. Upon the user changing relative position ofartwork and text, new placement coordinates are calculated by thevisualization server 150 based on the grid selection, size of theartwork and text and imprint area at 1120 of FIG. 11. This method wouldbe best described by the following example. Let the grid be 5 blocks by5 blocks, as illustrated in FIG. 10. The imprint algorithm 165 of FIG. 1divides the imprint area by 5 and performs relative positioning upon theuser selecting grid blocks. For example, if an imprint area is a 1-inchrectangle then a change by one block is 2/10 of an inch move. Thechanges are being sent to the visualization server 150, where the image1004 is being re-composited and re-displayed on the screen at 1130 ofFIG. 11.

In addition, the visualization server 150 makes some assumptions aboutthe size of the logo when generating the default composite image, andthe user is given an option to modify it at operation 310. The user maybe presented with a drop down menu 1010, where the user may select thedesired size by selecting and clicking on a small, medium or largeoption. Upon receiving the request at operation 311 the visualizationserver 150 re-sizes the image, re-composites the image and re-displaysit on the Web browser. For example, if the user wants the logo to be ofa small size, the visualization server 150 may re-size the logo to a 33%of an original logo image.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a Web interface presented on a browserthat allows the user at the client side to select a manufacturingprocess filter to use in generating a composite image. In oneembodiment, the user is presented a selection of filters via a Webinterface presented on the browser. For example, the user may bepresented a display of manufacturing techniques or processes in aselection box 1001. For example, the selection box may display a dropdown menu of options for selection by the user. The user may then selecta filter 1002, for example, by scrolling down the drop down box andclicking on a selected filter. The selection of the filter generatesfiltering information that is communicated to the visualization server150. This filtering information is used in generating the compositeimage so that the logo appears applied to the product image according tothe selected filter, i.e., embroidery, silk-screening, engraving, etc.This technique is accomplished by the usage of filters that are wellknown in the art.

Upon completion of operation 312 of FIG. 3, the design is stored in aproject folder database at the visualization server 150 and finalartwork for production is generated and stored in an order database at313. The user is then presented with a quotation form, illustrated inFIG. 12, where such information as quantity, color, decoration process,special instructions from the customer, etc. needs to be filled out at314. Upon the user completing the form the visualization server 150calculates the price for the order at operation 315 of FIG. 3. Anautomatic and accurate price calculation is one of the goals of thepresent invention. The price of the promotional product with theimprinted logo depends on the methods of manufacturing. For example, ifimprint is done by the method of embroidery then the number of stitchesdetermines the price of the order. When the final design is finalized bythe user and the visualization server 150 is ready to calculate thequote, the number of stitches is calculated. The number of stitches isdirectly proportional to the size of the logo and depends on the ratioof non-blank pixels to the imprint area. The visualization server 150measures the number of pixels occupied by the artwork and calculatesthis area in square inches, then multiplies the area by the averagenumber of stitches per square inch that is stored in the header of theproduct image file.(Logo area in square inches)×(Average number of stitches per squareinch)This calculation technique allows the user to rely on pricing beforeplacing the order, rather than waiting for the embroider to apply thedesign and then determine the number of stitches used in making thefinal design. For example, if an imprint area is 200 pixels and it is 5inches wide, and the logo is 100 pixels, then two and a half inches isgoing to be multiplied by the average number of stitches per squareinch. In another embodiment of the present invention, the average numberof stitches per square inch can be user-modified. The only change thatneeds to be made to the above calculation process is that instead ofretrieving the average number of stitches from the header of the productimage file, the value is sent to the visualization server 150 upon theuser entering it at the Web browser. Based on the calculated oruser-modified number of stitches per square inch and an embroidery priceprovided by various embroiders the fixed price quote may be calculated.

The user is then presented with the fixed price quote and a photo sampleaccording to the information stored in the databases (i.e. productdatabase, order database). The photo sample addresses the need for apre-production proof feature that is well known in the industry. Insteadof waiting for a manufacturer to complete a sample of a promotionalproduct, the user can view the final product on the Web browser in thecomfort of his/her own office.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the photo sample image maybe generated to include filtering so that the composite image simulatesthe appearance of the logo applied to the product according to aselected manufacturing process or technology. In another embodiment ofthe present invention, the user may zoom in and out of the photo sampleto view the image in greater detail. This feature is implemented usingthe techniques well known in the art.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the user may choose to senda finalized image for approval to a supervisor. Upon selection of thisoption, the visualization server 150 compiles an e-mail message andsends it to a specified e-mail address with an image of the finaldesign, or, in the alternative, with the URL of the Web site where thefinal design image may be viewed.

Upon accepting the fixed price quote, operation 316 of FIG. 3, the orderdetails are written into the order database on the visualization server150 at operation 317. The request for shipping and billing informationis being displayed on the Web browser for the user to fill out. In thealternative, the customer shipping and billing information stored in thecustomer database may be displayed on the Web browser for validation.When shipping and billing information is validated at operation 318 orentered into the order database at operation 319, the payment method isrequested. Upon entering of the payment method at 320 and validation ofit at 321, the transaction with the user is complete at operation 322.At this point the order, shipping and billing information is formattedand sent to the supplier. In one embodiment of the present invention allthe necessary information about the customer order is formatted into anemail message form and sent to a supplier.

In the foregoing specification the present invention has been describedwith reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will,however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be madeto the specific exemplary embodiments without departing from the broaderspirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regardsillustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

1. A system to automatically price a promotional product, the systemincluding: a database to store promotional product options; and avisualization server to: generate a user interface that facilitates theuser-specification of promotional product options pertaining to thepromotional product, the promotional product options including productinformation identifying a base product and decoration manufacturingprocess information identifying a process whereby a decoration isapplied to the base product; and automatically calculate a price for thepromotional product utilizing the product information and the decorationmanufacturing process information, wherein the user interface furtherprovides a visual representation of the promotional product having thedecoration applied thereto according to the decoration manufacturingprocess.
 2. The system of claim 1 wherein the promotional productoptions include decoration position information identifying a positionon the base product to which to apply a decoration, and thevisualization server is to automatically calculate the price for thepromotional product utilizing the product information, the decorationposition information and the decoration manufacturing processinformation. appended claims. Accordingly, the specification anddrawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictivesense.
 3. The system of claim 1 wherein the promotional product optionsinclude decoration appearance information, and wherein the userinterface facilitates identification of a decorative image thatcomprises part of the decoration appearance information.
 4. The systemof claim 3 wherein the user interface facilitates uploading of thedecorative image to the visualization server for storage in thedatabase.
 5. The system of claim 3 wherein the database stores aplurality of decorative images, and the user interface facilitatesselection of the decorative image from the plurality of the decorativeimages stored in the database.
 6. The system of claim 1 wherein the userinterface facilitates visual specification of at least the decorationposition information.
 7. The system of claim 6 wherein the userinterface presents a positioning grid to facilitate the visualspecification of the decorative position information.
 8. The system ofclaim 1 wherein the database stores information concerning a pluralityof base products, and the user interface presents the plurality of baseproducts and facilitates the user selection of the base product from theplurality of base products.
 9. The system of claim 8 wherein the userinterface presents a thumbnail image of each of the plurality of baseproducts when presenting the plurality of base products for userselection.
 10. The system of claim 1 wherein the database storesdecoration area information in conjunction with product informationconcerning the base product, the decoration area specifying a size of anarea on a surface of the base product to which the decoration may beapplied.
 11. The system of claim 1 wherein the visualization serverutilizes a decorative image, representative of the decoration to beapplied to the base product, to determine a decoration area, and tocalculate the price utilizing the decoration area.
 12. The system ofclaim 11 wherein the visualization server identifies a number ofoccupied pixels within the decorative image occupied by artworkrepresentative of the decoration, and determines the decoration areabased on the number of occupied pixels.
 13. The system of claim 1wherein the visualization server determines a decoration price per unitarea for the decoration manufacturing process, and calculates adecoration charge based on the decoration price per unit area.
 14. Thesystem of claim 13 wherein the decoration manufacturing process is anembroidery manufacturing process, and the decoration price per unit areais based upon an average number of stitches per unit area.
 15. Thesystem of claim 14 wherein the database stores the decoration price perunit area in conjunction with the product information.
 16. The system ofclaim 1 wherein the user interface facilitates user specification of asize of the decorative image.
 17. The system of claim 16 wherein theuser interface presents a plurality of predetermined size options forthe decorative image for user selection to thereby specify the size ofthe decorative image.
 18. The system of claim 16 wherein the userinterface displays the decorative image according to a default imagesize, and facilitates user modification of the default image size. 19.The system of claim 1 wherein the visualization server determines a unitprice based on the product information for the base product to which thedecoration is to be applied based, and calculates a unit charge based onthe unit price.
 20. The system of claim 19 wherein the productinformation includes any one of a group of product characteristicsincluding product type, product color, and product size.
 21. The systemof claim 19 wherein the user interface facilitates the input of quantityinformation indicating a quantity of the promotional products, andwherein the visualization server calculates the unit price based on thequantity of promotional products.
 22. The system of claim 1 wherein thevisualization server calculates a setup charge based on the decorationmanufacturing process.
 23. The system of claim 22 wherein the decorationmanufacturing process is an embroidery manufacturing process, and thesetup charge comprises a digitizing charge for digitization of adecoration image representing the decoration to be applied to the baseproduct.
 24. The system of claim 1 wherein the visualization servercalculates a tax charge.
 25. The system of claim 1 wherein thevisualization server calculates a shipping charge.
 26. The system ofclaim 1 wherein the visualization server sums a unit charge based on thebase product to which the decoration is to be applied, a decorationcharge based on the decoration to be applied to the base product, asetup charge based on the decoration manufacturing process, a tax chargeand a shipping charge.
 27. The system of claim 26 wherein thevisualization server generates a quote user interface to present theprice for the promotional product.
 28. The system of claim 27 whereinthe quote user interface presents the unit charge, the decorationcharge, the setup charge, the tax charge and the shipping charge. 29.The system of claim 27 wherein the quote user interface displays thepromotional product options selected by a user via the user interface.30. The system of claim 1 wherein the decoration manufacturing processincludes any one of a group of manufacturing processes including anembroidery manufacturing process, a silk-screen manufacturing process,and an engraving manufacturing process.
 31. A system to automaticallyprice a promotional product, the system including: first means forstoring promotional product options; and second means for: generating auser interface that facilitates the user-specification of promotionalproduct options pertaining to the promotional product, the promotionalproduct options including product information identifying a base productand decoration manufacturing process information identifying a processwhereby a decoration is applied to the base product; and automaticallycalculating a price for the promotional product utilizing the productinformation and the decoration manufacturing process information,wherein the user interface further provides a visual representation ofthe promotional product having the decoration applied thereto accordingto the decoration manufacturing process.